


Undivided

by GonerLoner



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Character Death, Galra Keith (Voltron), Galra Shiro (Voltron), M/M, My First AO3 Post, Plot Twists, Season 4 Setting, the klance only friendshipwise tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-27
Updated: 2017-11-27
Packaged: 2019-02-07 14:52:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12843528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GonerLoner/pseuds/GonerLoner
Summary: Shiro has been acting strange lately. Lance and Keith decide to investigate...but things quickly turn into a gruesome nightmare.





	Undivided

**Author's Note:**

> My first work here on Ao3. I'm not a native english speaker so I'm already sorry for any misspellings/mistakes!  
> Oh and for generally writing this, haha. Felt like i was a bit...very...detailed with the violence scenes sooo take care.

Tonight, the stars seemed dull. Nowhere near as bright as they used to be. 

But they were passing a new galaxy every day so Lance couldn’t be so sure about that. 

The blue paladin sighed as he was sitting on the lonely observation deck, cocooned in his favourite blanket and staring out into space – like he had been doing so for the past week. 

Hunk, Allura and Shiro were sleeping – or at least he thought they would. Coran was away with Matt and Pidge for a diplomatic mission; they wouldn’t come back for another three days. 

His hands gripped the blanket seam a bit tighter, his thoughts began to drift away from the stars he was staring at to his team. 

Shiro had been acting really off lately. Maybe it was because of Keith…No, this whole thing had started before Keith left to the Blade of Marmorra. Actually, he had been slightly off ever since they had found him drifting in space, close to dying and only slightly looking like the Shiro that had dissappeared from the black lion’s cockpit after their fight with Zarkon. 

It had started with him being so tired, his headaches. He became irritated really fast and there were times where he started to snap at all of them for seemingly no reason. Or he was being overly harsh when he saw someone slacking in training even just a tiny bit. 

Lance couldn’t count the many times Keith had clashed with Shiro – the former red paladin now being the temporary leader of Voltron and having just gotten used to this role – and how…how gruesome some of their fights became. Keith always went to him afterwards; Lance knew how shaken and sad he was about the fact that the man he once called a brother would talk him down and yell at him in such a bad way. 

Nobody stopped Keith when he left. 

Maybe Lance should have. 

His head fell on his knees which he had drawn to his chest, his arms gripping tightly around his legs as sobs started to wreck his body. 

This whole week had been the embodiment of shitty. 

Everything had gone downhill when Keith declared he would leave Team Voltron to work with the Blade. Lance didn’t want to realise it. 

He couldn’t recall how many times he had stopped outside the door of Keiths room, his hand raised in a knock, ready to rant to the dark haired boy – only to be hit with the harsh reality that Keith didn’t live here any more. 

To top it off, Pidge had finally been able to find Matt, her brother. He had joined their team, charming everyone with his easy smiles and jokes that seemed to get so many more laughs than Lance’s. He stayed with Pidge and Hunk, and the trio worked together effortlessly to create new ways to detect galra ships and to predict where they could attack next. 

Shiro had stayed with Allura and Coran – because even if he’d been acting off, he still was the leader of Voltron and planned their next moves with the Alteans, talking to all sorts of aliens that were part oft he Voltron Alliance and at that times somehow being his old, calm and collected self. 

Lance wished he would still be that way when it was only team Voltron and no aliens around. 

He was all alone now. 

A seventh wheel. 

The thing he had feared most had become reality. 

Yes, he was still a paladin of Voltron – but he couldn’t bring himself to be happy about that. In fact, he wondered if it wouldn’t be better to leave. 

He swallowed. 

Was this what Keith had been thinking before he left…? 

No, Keith wasn’t as selfish as that. His fights with Shiro had worn him out, yes. But…As he said it, he would be more useful for the Blade right now as he could be for Voltron. He…he would only leave for a greater good. 

Lance wanted to scream at him. 

He had tried to ignore how hard it had stung that he had left. He thought he was finally getting along with Keith…they had been getting closer and Lance had allowed himself to drop the sky high walls around his heart, allowed Keith to see how insecure he really was behind his bravado-facade of flirty smirks and cocky remarcks. 

And now the only one who knew about his insecurities, the only one who Lance had enough trust in to tell him how afraid he was about his place in the team, was gone. 

Something ached in his chest at the thought of not being able to speak to Keith any more on a daily basis… 

He didn’t want to fight and bicker with him any more. 

Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t hear the door hiss open behind him. 

„I just want to tell you how much I miss you…“, he whispered in his knees, tears still running down his cheeks. 

Someone slid to the ground next to him. Lance stiffened, ready to tell Hunk that he wanted to be left alone – but the words died in his throat as slim but strong arms slid around his shoulder and waist and drew him to an armor-covered chest. 

His eyes snapped open and he gasped as he recognized the black and purple chest plate and he quickly flinched back, wrenching himself out oft he arm’s grip and scrambling to get a few feet away from Keith who stared at him with big purple eyes, his arms still slightly raised. 

His hood was drawn up but the mask deactivated. For a second, hurt flashed over his face but moments later his expression was unreadable again. 

„What…w-what are you doing here??“, Lance whisper-yelled, his breath flying and his heart thundering in his ribcage. This couldn’t be happening. He must be dreaming – there was no way Keith could be here right in that moment Lance wanted to talk to him so desperately. 

Still, his heart ached with hope. 

„I…“ Keith swallowed. Then his beautiful indigo-purple eyes closed for a few moments and he sighed. „Kolivan told me to come back. He…wanted me to watch over Shiro. Something’s wrong with him. I told him how we fighted and how he had changed since we…he had been…since his last time being with the Galra. Something changed him. And Kolivan wanted me to find out what it is. Before it’s too late.“ 

Lance narrowed his eyes despite how his heart hurt at the way pain flashed through Keiths eyes at the mention of Shiro. 

„W-what do you mean ‚before it’s too late‘? Here…we’re safe here in the castle. Nothing can happen to us here.“ 

He didn’t believe his own words for one second. 

Keith didn’t either. „I wouldn’t be so sure about that.“ His gloved hands balled into fists. 

Lance swallowed, his thoughts running circles inside his head. 

Could Shiro even become a threat for them…? 

Keith gulped, his eyes trained on Lance, his look steady. „We have to watch him“, he quietly said. „I need you for this, Lance. I know I can trust you to help me with this – to find out what’s wrong with Shiro.“ T

he Cuban boy blinked. „You-you trust me? I can help you?“ He hated how disbelieving and weak his voice sounded. 

But it was so difficult to grasp right now. Did Keith really come back tot he castle and onto the observation deck Lance was hiding at to tell him that they both needed to find out what was wrong with Shiro…together...? 

Keiths lips twitched into a little smile, soft and warm. „Yes, I do. You keep me from doing unneccessary stupid and reckless things that would end up in me getting hurt or someone else paying for my recklessness. I may not be Voltrons leader or even a part of it any more – but you’re still my right hand man, my stability. I need you.“ 

Lance’s heart did a little salto upon hearing those words. He blinked the tears away that started to built behind his eyes again, then he smiled. „You’ll always be a part of us, Keith. It doesn’t matter if you’re with us or with the Blades.“ He took Keiths right hand ín his and squeezed it softly. 

The young Blade soldier’s smile grew a bit and he squeezed Lance’s hand back before standing up and pulling Lance up too. „It would be better if we catch up some sleep now. Tomorrow I’ll show myself to the team – but i somehow have a feeling that they…don’t need to know why I’m here again.“ 

Lance nodded slowly, his hand softly touching his side. He remembered when Shiro had hit him during training – with his glowing galra arm. 

„He’s afraid“, Lance whispered suddenly. „He said there was something inside him, something terrifying-“ 

Suddenly, an ear piercing scream ripped through the silence of the nightly castle. 

Both Keith and Lance whipped around to stare at the door, then at each other with wide eyes. The next second, they were running out of the room into the hallway, taking turns and sprinting to reach the paladin quarters. 

Another blood curling scream rippled through the air. 

It was Allura. 

Allura… 

Shiro!! 

Both boys exchanged a wide eyed glance and ran faster, determined to help her. 

„Shiro! Don’t do this…Shiro…? No, please, no, no, NO, NOO-!!“ 

Ice cold fear gripped both boys as they heard a disgusting ripping sound, the splash of something wet and Allura’s fearful scream abruptly cutting off with a gruesome gurgling sound. 

Keith cursed and ran even faster, drawing his blade and activating it. Red began clouding his vision. 

But suddenly a sharp pull around his wrist stopped him. „Keith, no! You won’t stand a chance if you’re fighting him alone!“ 

Keith stopped to whip around and glare at Lance – but his rage quickly drained as he took Lance’s appearance in. The blue paladin was breathing hard, his blue eyes bright and full of horror but also determination. He was still in his pyjamas. 

„Lance, I want you to stay away from him. You’re unprotected – go get Hunk and the others and get the hell out of here.“ His voice was firm. 

But Lance wasn’t having any of it. „Oh heck no. You don’t get to send me away now and get yourself killed in a heroic try of protecting us. Not again, Keith.“ His face twisted in an angry frown, his voice nearly a growl, Lance balled his fists. 

Keith closed his eyes, cursing under his breath and pinching his nose. Then he glared at Lance and pushed him in the direction of his room. „Get your gun. And Hunk – and for fuck’s sake, don’t let him come too close to you. I don’t want you to get hurt – again.“ 

With that, he run off into the direction of Allura’s chambers – where the fight had come from. 

 

The scene Lance and Hunk stumbled in on a few minutes later was gruesome. Cruel. Purple and red blood covered the door of Allura’s room, it splattered the floor and walls of the hallway around them. 

The door was slightly open and if Lance would be peeking into the room, he would see her dead body, fluffy white hair, now caked with blood and her limbs torn to shreds. 

Shiro was standing about thirty feet away from them. He had Keith pinned against the wall, holding him up with his metal hand around his neck, choking him. His lips stretched to bare a manic grin that showed…fangs…? 

Sharp, long canines. But that wasn’t the only thing that had changed. Shiro’s eyes were a glowing purple, like…Zarkons… His face was splattered and smeared with blood and his non-metal hand, once human, now had sharp, purple claws, galra claws… 

But not only Shiro had changed. Keith was hisssing at him in an angry scowl, his open mouth baring fangs even sharper than Shiro’s, his eyes burning a glowing yellow… Big galra ears sat atop his head, one dropped and caked with blood that ran into his eyes and stuck his hair together. His face, almost as bloody as Shiro’s, was a deep purple now, a long cut reaching from his chin over his nose to his forehead and bleeding a dark purple. 

His own claws scratched at Shiro’s arm as he pressed harder and the Galra halfling choked on a hissing sound, uselessly trying to free himself. His blade laid on the floor, thrown away and out of reach. 

Lance felt his blood beginning to boil at the sight of Keith’s helplessness.

„Let him down or I’ll shoot you, Shiro“, he suddenly called, materialising his gun and raising it to point at Shiro’s side. He knew he would not hurt Shiro enough to kill him – but he had to do something to stop him from killing Keith. 

The former black paladin slowly turned towards them, not letting go of Keith. He grinned. „I want to see you try. You’re too much of a coward to really try and hurt me.“ 

With a move that startled them all, he threw Keith down the hall. His agonized scream cut off as he hit the floor with a dull sound. 

Lance growled and started shooting as rage overcame him. 

But Shiro was too fast. 

He abruptly charged at them, dodging all of Lance’s and also Hunks shots with his glowing arm and suddenly he was too close and rammed into Lance. 

The blue boy gasped as he was thrown across the hallway and hit the wall. Something cracked in his back, pain shooted up his spine and he screamed. 

„LANCE!“ 

Now Hunk was screaming. His bayard clattered to the ground, he charged at Shiro in a yellow flash of angry yelling– but before he even could touch Shiro, the hot glowing weapon that his arm was shot forward and stabbed Hunk. 

Right in his guts. 

Time slowed again. 

Lance screamed again as Hunks eyes seemed to bulge out of his skull and his face looked…surprised. For a split second. 

As Shiros arm drew back, his animalistic laughter echoing through the hallway, Hunk coughed up blood, his hands slowly going tot he gaping hole in his stomach. 

Blood was gushing out of it as the yellow paladin coughed for one last time them collapsed on the floor. 

For the eternity of two seconds, the hallway was silent with horror. 

Lance’s vision blurred with pain and tears. „No, no, no, nonononononono--“ He stared at the big figure of Shiro – or this twisted something that once was Shiro. 

„Why did you do this…?“, he whispered, trying – and failing – to get up, his foot sliding over all the blood that covered the hallway. 

That animalistic grin was back on his face. „They all tried to go against me. They only got what they deserve.“ With fast strides, he made his way towards Lance, lifting him up and pressing him against the wall, his clawed hand slicing easily through Lance’s shirt and leaving tiny cuts just below his neck. A whimper full of mortal fear and pain escaped him as his back collided with the wall once again. 

He gripped at Shiro’s arm, trying to scratch him, to free himself, but none of that – Shiro was much too strong for him. 

He laughed, sending icy chills down Lance‘s spine and suddenly sharp teeth grazed over his ear. 

„I’ve seen how he looked at you. I know what he wants to do to you. Oh, you look so deliciously vulnerable right now – one snap of my hand around your neck and you’d be gone like the halfling.“ A dark chuckle. „Oh I knew it would be better to save you for last.“ 

A long tongue slowly licked over his neck, Lance tried his best to not shiver in fear. „So soft.“ Shiro chuckled again. His metal arm gripped his hip, not caring of the nails that scratched over his arm. 

Suddenly he growled. 

The metal was heating up. 

Rapidly. 

And Lance started screaming as all he was and had been became pain. 

White hot, scorching pain that radiated from his hip and burned through his bones. He wasn’t aware that he pleaded, screamed for it to stop. That he shouted and sobbed with tears running over his face and suddenly the burning hand left his hip. 

The pain still lingered but when Lance opened his eyes, he was able to vaguely see the face in front of him, the burning purple eyes neatly cutting through the haze. 

„Please…“, he pleaded, sobbing. Tears and sweat running down his face, his fingers tired and bloody from where he had broken some of his nails with scratching over Shiro’s arm. 

„Have…mercy…“ 

„I do not know mercy“, Shiro suddenly rumbled, charging forward again and sinking his razor sharp teeth into the flesh between Lance’s neck and right shoulder. 

A scream ripped itself out oft he blue boy’s neck, sharp and desperate and bone chilling like his fear. 

Pain was all he could feel. 

See. 

Hear. 

He scrambled to scratch at Shiro’s arm again, doing anything to free himself but his scream only climbed with frozen mortal fear as the other closed his jaw…and let his canines cut through the flesh like through butter. 

I’m gonna miss you, Keith… 

Beautiful darkness greeted him as he closed his eyes.

 

With a scream, Lance jolted awake.

His hand flew to his throat, needing to feel that he didn’t in fact have a chunk of flesh ripped out o fit and…his hip wasn’t burned beyond belief.

That didn’t stop the tears from falling freely down his cheeks.

His breath was flying eratically. He buried his face in his hands, starting to sob as he saw the image of Hunk again, laying lifeless in the hallway covered with blood, Keiths twisted body…

Keith.

Keith!!

In a matter of seconds, Lance was out of his bed, running out of his room to Keith’s and skidding to a halt in front of it, slamming in the code Keith had given him to open the door.

The room was dark.

„Keith…?“ Lance flinched at the broken and scared sound of his voice. Breathing hard, he had to lean at the doorframe for support.

On the bed, something moved under the covers.

Then, a really sleepy voice spoke up.

„Lance...? What…it’s like…the middle of the night.“ Covers shifted, Keith sat up.

And with that, the blue boy broke.

He fell to the floor, his hands flying to his mouth to cover up the ugly sobs that suddenly shook him and der tears out of his eyes.

Keith was here.

He wasn’t with the Blade – he had never left. He was here. And he was alive.

It was only a dream.

Still, Lance couldn’t help the dizzying relief that flooded him when he saw and heard Keith speak.

„Hey…“ Worry colored the red paladins voice dark. He stepped closer to the boy, crouching in front of him and gently gripping his shoulders. His tone was soft. „Nightmare?“

Lance could only nod and lean into Keith as the dark haired boy pulled him to his chest, hugging him tightly. „I won’t leave“, he promised quietly. „I’ll stay here. I won’t leave you. I know you need me. And I need you even more.“

Lance sniffed and hugged him back just as tightly.

He was so aftraid of being left alone.


End file.
